Twice Blessed
by Tae-la-la
Summary: Kurtofsky.  As Kurt and his husband Blaine are going through a divorce, Kurt moves back to Lima to be closer to his father and reconnects with David Karofsky when daughter Toronto joins the Lima Elementary football team that David coaches.
1. Chapter 1

David left the teacher's lounge just in time to hear frenzied yelling. Down the hallway, a man wearing clothing much too fancy for Lima was shaking his finger in the face of a rather horrified teacher. His hair bounced as he did so, his face flushed red.

"-so if my daughter wants to be straight or a motherfucking lesbian, more power to her!"

A smile, a really _ridiculous_ smile spread across David's face before he could stop it. He breathed out a single word with as much shock as happiness. "_Fancy."_

Kurt Hummel turned dramatically on his heel and reached down to grasp the hand of a little girl with chocolate pigtails. As he stomped down the hall she half-ran to keep from being dragged along. "Daddy, what's a lesbian?"

"It's just a stupid word. It's someone who loves someone. The word doesn't matter."

The girl pulled at the side of her dress, looking uncomfortable. "Is Miss Cynthia mad at me?"

Dave saw Kurt's jaw become a hard line. "Yes, baby, but that's only because Miss Cynthia…" He turned his face back to the woman still standing in the doorway of her classroom, raisinghis voice pointedly. "… _is a bitch._"

The teacher went white, and the sound of giggles coming from the room behind her was easily heard. Toronto just grinned. "That's what _I_ told her."

Kurt looked down at his daughter, alarmed for a moment. Slowly, horror and then self-disgust painted his features. "I'm a terrible parent."

David was still smiling, his grin maybe even a bit larger than before by the time they reached and passed him. A few steps more… and then Kurt stopped abruptly, turned around, and locked eyes with his old classmate. Dave didn't know what to expect and nearly walked away. But Kurt's look of confusion morphed into one of recognition, which was soon replaced with excitement.

"David!" He nearly squealed the name, taking a few steps towards him. Toronto swung around on her father's hand, already disinterested in whatever was happening. "_David Karofsky_. Lord, it's been years."

This wasn't the reaction David had been expecting. He really didn't know _what_ he'd been expecting, but it hadn't been anything positive. This was… good. After standing there for a moment it occurred to him that he should probably move or speak, so he held out his hand. "It has. You, uh… you look good."

Kurt sighed and shook his hand in the tired way that parents do, but even after all these years there was still a touch of something dainty and refined about the gesture. "Thanks. I'm a little worse for wear, but it's not as big a disaster as it could be I suppose."

He didn't really think before he spoke again. "What? Kurt, you look amazing."

The sheer inappropriateness of the sentence hit him a half second later, and he shifted his feet uncomfortably. Kurt, however, bit his bottom lip and blushed like a girl who'd never been told she was pretty. Neither of them spoke for a while. The silence was punctuated with awkward smiles and Toronto humming Seasons of Love as she used her free hand to try and pry her father's fingers off her captured hand. He held fast, not even noticing her struggle.

"So, uh…" Dave immediately knew the words about to fall from his lips would only serve to make the moment more awkward, but it was too late to stop them. "Where's Blaine?"

Toronto stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, squinting. "You know Daddy?"

"Sure he does," Kurt answered. "We all used to be good friends."

Dave struggled with the response. Good friends? Is that what they had been? The three had spent sparingly small amounts of time together during their senior year. They got along, but Dave wasn't aware Kurt had ever categorized him as a friend.

Kurt turned his eyes back to Dave's, and exhaled before speaking. "Blaine is still in New York. He, um… we're separated actually. As of three weeks ago."

_Separated._ It seemed the whole world fell with the weight of that word. Blaine and Kurt had been Blaine and Kurt for so long that Dave couldn't imagine another reality. They had been the ideal couple, completely in love, unbreakable. They had everything anyone could ever want. David had spent years dying to see even one crack in their perfect lives, but it just hadn't been there. And now… _separated_.

He struggled for some kind of appropriate response, but all he managed was a quiet, "Kurt, I'm so sorry."

Kurt gave a weak half shrug. "Oh, don't be. It was a long time coming."

In some way, David was aware that he should happy about this. In a twisted, very wrong way, he should be relieved. Kurt Hummel was back in town, and single. The boy he thought he'd never see again, much less…

But Dave wasn't happy. On the contrary, he felt sick. Kurt was still smiling, but he'd never been good at hiding the emotions in his eyes. The weight of Kurt's broken heart was shattering David's, and as strange as it was, a part of him was praying that Blaine would appear and repair whatever had broken between them.

He had spent years feeling okay because he knew Kurt was loved. He didn't know how to handle this.

Dave's eyes were drawn to the little girl, who seemed not to be listening. He knew young children were always listening, especially when they seemed not to be. He motioned back down the hall, and tried to save the conversation. "So, what was that about?"

The hurt drained from Kurt's eyes, quickly replaced by annoyance. Success. Kurt could always be distracted by something that angered him.

"Well, apparently my daughter kissed one of the girls in her class." He saw Dave's flinch and nodded. "I know, right? And in case the PDA wasn't bad enough, the teacher then told her that girls who kiss girls are 'nasty' and 'bad'."

David sighed and tried not to look too angry; he'd been told he glared too often. "Cynthia has a history with that kind of thing. She even gives _me _a hard time now and then. You know, telling me I'm going to hell, starting petitions to get me fired, then there was this one time she actually threw a Bible - what?" He stopped abruptly at the look of complete bewilderment on Kurt's face.

The other man seemed to be struggling for words. "You… you came out?"

Dave shrugged. "A few years ago. It's not a big deal."

Dave only got to see a glimpse of Kurt's smile before he released his daughter's hand and threw both arms around the taller man's neck. Over his shoulder, Dave watched Toronto run over to a nearby corkboard to look at the drawings pinned there.

Kurt's voice was almost frantic. "What? Are - are you kidding? It's a _huge_ deal!"

Dave laughed softly and hugged him back. His arms had never been around Kurt Hummel, and he tried not to lose himself too much in the moment. As they both pulled back, he saw the pride and thrill in Kurt's eyes, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling again. He hadn't smiled this much in awhile.

"Thanks, Fancy."

The nickname was a slip-up - Dave didn't catch it even after it'd happened - and Kurt just let out a small half-laugh. "Congratulations, David."

His eyes wandered back to Toronto, who was now repeatedly jumping on and off a bench against the wall. He nodded towards her. "Um, I think you may have lost your little Broadway star."

"What, Toronto?" He shook his head wearily. "I wish. Her hobbies are a bit more… I don't even know. I mean Blaine was thrilled, but I don't really know how to handle it."

"Handle what?"

He looked over his daughter, his expression adoring but concerned. "Tor wants to be on the football team."

Dave looked to her as well. She was tiny, dainty, with the delicate features of one father and the miniature-pony size of the other. She didn't look like a jock, but… "What's the problem with that?"

Kurt's eyes went back to David's, and he blinked in confusion. "I - well, I mean… she _is_ a girl. The coach would probably just turn her away without giving her a chance."

"Nah," David said slowly. "I'd give her a fair shot."

There was a short pause as Kurt processed this new information.

"You're the coach." It wasn't a question so much as a statement of the obvious, or what should have been obvious.

"And Social Studies teacher, but who's keeping track?" Dave watched the girl rush back to them, bouncing with every step. "How about this - you bring her around to tryouts after school Thursday, and we'll see what she can do."

Toronto perked up. "Football? Dad, can I please? Please, please, please, please, please, please-"

"Okay!" Kurt cut off her string of begging before it could go any further, laughing as he clapped a hand over her mouth. "Okay, we'll go to tryouts."

She wriggled free of his grip and threw one arm in the air victoriously. "Yesssss!"

The men laughed together, and Dave's world felt considerably brighter than it had in twelve years.


	2. Chapter 2

The Hummel household smelled of bacon when Kurt dragged himself out of bed and down the stairs that morning. He looked at every picture he passed on the way, every rug and every trinket. He'd lived a separate life for so long that coming back here should have made him feel like a failure. All Kurt felt was comfort. All these familiar things felt more like home than the apartment in New York had in _years_.

He turned the corner and the kitchen swept into view. Carole was scrambling eggs while Burt sat at the table, sneaking a slice of bacon off a plate. He popped it in his mouth and reached his other hand over to ruffle Toronto's hair as she continued to speak, holding her fully-functional pink Barbie cell phone against her ear.

"- a girl in my class. I got in a lot of trouble, but Daddy yelled at the teacher and now it's okay."

Kurt cast a questioning glance to his father, who mouthed back '_Blaine_.' Kurt sighed and wandered over to stand near his step-mother, tapping his finger impatiently on the counter.

Carole smiled understandingly and leaned her head on his shoulder, whispering, "He's still her father."

"I know," Kurt muttered back, letting his head rest against hers. "I'd just rather keep my distance from him."

Burt appeared behind them. "That's all well and good, but _she _needs to stay as close to him as she can."

Kurt turned away from all the reasonable logic stacking up against his own selfish need for separation, and let his eyes fall on his daughter. Her toothy little grin grew by the second as she shifted the chunky phone from one hand to the other and then back again. For the millionth time this week, he wondered if he should have stayed in New York and kept their family intact. It wasn't too late. He could always go back.

The very thought filled him with dread. Back to the posh, stylish cage of an apartment paid for with Blaine's new salary as an advertising executive. Back to his whirlwind romance that had lately faded into a loveless marriage. Back to the place where his Broadway dreams had been crushed as he watched Rachel's come true.

Toronto had been the only part of his life that didn't make him hate it. She was his refuge and his hope for the future. Was it selfish to escape now in search of his own happiness? Toronto was smiling, after all, telling Blaine about all her new adventures in Lima. She'd never been happy with expensive schools and bland uniforms. Here, she already seemed to shine with a light that the city's artificial glow had suppressed.

Still, Blaine was far away, and she would be missing him more each day. Maybe Kurt would miss him too. There would be no more picnics at the park or family trips to the zoo. No more coffee with Blaine on Sunday mornings. No more warm body in the bed next to his, even if they didn't touch anymore.

"Guess what else, papa? I'm going to try out for football!"

There was a loud response of excitement from the phone, audible all the way across the room. Kurt smiled in spite of himself. Blaine had always encouraged her love of sports and her dreams of playing.

"The coach is really nice. He's your friend. His name is-"

Kurt charged across the kitchen and snapped the phone out of Toronto's grip, earning the alarmed stares of everyone in the room. He lifted it to his ear, not sure what to say.

"Toronto, sugar blossom? You there?"

A lump formed in Kurt's throat that he wasn't expecting. Blaine's voice, an everyday occurrence for the past… forever. But now it sounded so foreign. So strange, yet so necessary. It settled into Kurt's body like it was a missing piece of him.

The voice on the other end of the line quieted. "Kurt, it's you isn't it?"

Kurt swallowed hard, and it hurt his suddenly dry throat. "I have to get Tor to school, we'll be late."

He snapped the cell shut. He didn't look up to see Burt and Carole's disapproving looks, but he knew they were there. It didn't matter, he'd prevented the worst. Blaine wouldn't know that Toronto was spending time with David.

As far as Kurt knew, Blaine didn't hate David. Blaine didn't really have it in him to hate anyone. He probably would've been as shocked and pleased as Kurt himself to hear that the man had come to accept himself. So Kurt couldn't put his finger on exactly why he felt like he needed to keep Dave's involvement in their lives a secret. He just knew it would be better this way.

* * *

><p>At the end of the school day, once the bell had rung, David gathered all the children who were trying out for football in the front lobby. As he checked their notes from parents and made sure everyone was accounted for, he couldn't stop himself looking down the halls for any sign of a little girl with chocolate pigtails.<p>

"Mr. Karofsky?"

Dave looked down at Noah Puckerman Jr., who was tugging at his hand. "Hm?"

"My dad said that, um, this one time he punched a guy in the face because he almost slushied you at senior homecoming. And then he got detention for a whole week."

David smiled, remembering the event. Puck had told him it was worth it, and that 'redemption cases' have to stick together. They'd been friends ever since. "Yeah, he did. Why?"

Noah Jr. gave a toothy grin and gripped the straps of his backpack, adjusting it on his small shoulders. "Dad said you owe him one and I should remind you in case I'm not a very good at football."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Well you can tell your dad-"

"Mr. Dave!"

He looked up to see Toronto running towards the group, pigtails trailing behind her, waving a pink phone in the air. "Hey, you made it."

She shook the phone at him, her words tumbling out of her mouth haphazardly through her heavy breathing. "Daddy forgot to sign my note this morning so I could try out but I really want to and it's not my fault he forgot and now my phone is ringing, here, take it!"

He barely processed her words before the phone was shoved into his hand. He lifted it to his ear quickly, almost dropping it in his haste. There was one more half-ring before he heard Kurt's tired but loving voice.

"Hey baby, how was your day?"

Despite knowing that the words were for Toronto and not him, David blushed.

Tor, still breathing heavily, pushed on his leg with both hands. "Ask him!"

He blinked and spoke. "Hi, um, Kurt? This is David. Karofsky. You didn't sign Tor's note to go to tryouts after school, so-"

Kurt let out a weary sigh and muttered a curse word under his breath. "Yeah, um… is it okay if I just tell you over the phone? I mean she has my permission, obviously."

"No, that's fine."

He sounded relieved. "Oh good, I really appreciate it. This means a lot to her."

"Sure, it's no problem. We'll see you after tryouts."

After diverting her attention away from showing the boys how best to give an Indian burn, he handed the phone back to Toronto. She said a hurried "Love you daddy, bye!" into the phone, and didn't wait for a response before putting it in her pocket and turning to Dave. "Can we start now?"

* * *

><p>Tired from shaking the hands of dozens of parents, David watched another SUV leave the lot. The parents of his students always seemed to feel uncomfortable around him, with curious stares and lingering gazes. That he was an openly gay football coach was clearly a matter of some concern for them, and Dave hadn't reached the point yet that it didn't bother him.<p>

"Couldn't help but notice you let a chick try out."

David smiled, recognizing the voice, and turned towards Noah Puckerman. "Got a problem with that?"

He laughed in response, ruffling his son's hair as the boy leaned against his leg. "Nah, man, it's pretty ballsy of you actually. I approve."

"Good to know. If Naomi ever wants to try out-"

Puck gave a half laugh and rolled his eyes. "My girl's all into dresses and dolls and shit."

Noah Jr. smacked his father's leg, speaking softly but anxiously. "Daddy! No bad words!"

Both men laughed, and Puck scooped his boy up into his arms. "If you don't tell your momma I said shit, I'll let you say it once _and_ I'll buy you ice cream on the way home."

He smiled and leaned his head against his father's. "Kay."

"That's some creative parenting, Puckerman."

"Eh," Noah clapped his friend on the shoulder and he began to back away towards his car. "I gotta be me. See ya, Karofsky."

Since high school had ended, everything in the world had changed; even Noah, even if he wouldn't admit it. Dave's friend had gone from a directionless bad boy to a father and husband with a steady job, and never a thought of turning back.

As he looked around, his eyes fell on Kurt Hummel kissing Toronto's forehead as he buckled her into her seat. She giggled and her father shut the door, standing up and laying his hand on his own door handle, the door itself already open. He paused, the sun on his hair, his lips curled slightly into a smile.

Dave's heart skipped a beat.

So maybe not _everything_ changed.

He told himself to relax, to keep his mind off the man. He was separated, not single. And besides that, there was no guarantee he was even the same person he had been in high school. There was no guarantee that the boy David had developed feelings for still existed.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he registered that this was the third time he'd heard Hummel's car _almost_ start. He could hear the engine struggling to work, but then it finally sputtered and fell silent. Through the window, David watched Kurt lay his head on the steering wheel in defeat.

He didn't even take a moment to consider before running over, reaching them just as Kurt opened the door and swung his legs out.

"Hey, car trouble?"

Kurt nodded. "This thing is complete junk and my cell is dead."

"Well, I-" David stopped, made a choice in that split second pause, and went on. "I'd let you use mine, but I left it at home this morning."

It was a lie. His phone was in his car, in the duffle bag where he'd packed away his teaching clothes earlier in favor of his coaching uniform. It would be in his left jean pocket. It would require much effort to go fetch it. Kurt would be thankful, maybe give him that smile David couldn't help wanting to see all the time. But if David didn't have his phone, if the school was already locked up and there were no other options, he might ask -

Kurt's voice interrupted his train of thought, offering up the very solution cresting in David's mind.

"I hate to impose, Mr. Karofsky, but is there any way you could drive Toronto and I to my dad's house?" He looked uncomfortable asking, and tucked a loose lock of hair behind one ear carefully as he squinted up into David's eyes. "I know it's out of your way. If you could just get us there then dad could bring us back and get the car."

David smiled and nodded softly. "Of course, it's no trouble at all."

* * *

><p>Less than a minute into the ride, Toronto had dozed off in the back seat. She leaned with her head against the window, a tattered stuffed dog slipping from a grip loosened by sleep. David couldn't help looking in the rear view mirror as a smiling Kurt reached back and retrieved the pup, tucking it under the little girl's arm. There was something so intimate and beautiful about the moment. David felt as if he was intruding, but the pure love he saw there made him unable to look away. Kurt's hand lingered on her cheek for just a moment before he faced forward again.<p>

"So," Kurt started quietly, careful not to wake the princess. "I know you're technically not going to post the results until Monday, but what are Tor's chances of being on the team?"

David smiled. "She's on. There's no doubt about it." There had _been_ no doubt about it, even before he saw her on the field. There had been no doubt about it since he'd realized that this would lead inevitably to him seeing Kurt most Sundays and for at least a few minutes after every practice. Of course, he felt less selfish about it now that he knew she had promise.

"Really?" Kurt sounded pleased.

"Mm hm. You should have seen her tackle Noah. Girl's tough."

Kurt chuckled, and David joined in. Silence fell over them, both men smiling and staring off in different directions. As if sharing their happiness would be too strange, but still keeping it between them like an invisible bond.

"So, Mr. Karofsky-"

"Call me David."

He must have hallucinated Kurt's light blush.

"David," he went on, "catch me up on the past twelve years of your life. I want all the delicious, scandalous details."

Dave shrugged under his seat belt, eyes on the road but moving more from memory than attention. "You already know the biggest scandal: me coming out. I mean there wasn't too much fuss over it, just whispers mostly. Other than that, it's been pretty boring."

Kurt rested his elbow on the lip under his window and leaned his forehead against his fist. "Ah, I don't believe that. Come on, give me something interesting to gossip about when I call my friends back home. Dating, sex, children, _something_."

He just grinned. "Nothing notable. A few dates, no relationships. One-night stands."

"No kids, then."

David swallowed hard, tightening his grip on the steering wheel the tiniest bit. He never knew how to respond to that question. "Not really. It's complicated."

"_David Paul Karofsky,"_ Kurt turned towards him, eyes wide, voice dripping with feigned judgment and genuine amusement. "Did you knock up some poor naïve hag?"

That earned a chuckle, and Dave felt just a bit of the awkwardness leave him. "Definitely not."

The other man squinted curiously and turned to his window again. Dave felt that Kurt had sensed his apprehension, and was pulling back to avoid discomfort. "Alright, good."

A moment later, they pulled up against the curb in front of the Hummel household, and Dave turned off the car. He glanced at the clock on his radio and realized that he'd been driving unnecessarily slow, dragging out the time.

When Kurt looked over at him and smiled, David couldn't stop himself smiling back. Their eyes held each other a touch too long, and Dave looked back at Toronto to break the moment. "She's a good kid, you know. I have her in my History class too. She's smart. Maybe a little loud."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but his expression was nothing but affectionate. "People say she looks just like me or Blaine, but I can blame the volume entirely on her mother. That and the hair."

It hit David then, and there was no doubt in his mind who they were talking about. "No shit. Berry? She was your surrogate?"

"It's all starting to make sense now, huh?" Kurt chuckled and sighed, leaning back against his seat to look at the sleeping child. "She looks all Blaine to me, and her personality is split between him and Rachel. Sometimes I wonder if there's any of me in her at all."

"She has your eyes." David said softly, without considering the words.

This time they both blushed unmistakably. Dave felt stupid for saying it, for admitting he knew Kurt's eyes enough to notice that Toronto shared them. But Kurt was smiling, so he didn't dwell on it. He reveled in this moment, watching the blush fade from Kurt's cheeks and the love in his eyes grow with every second that his gaze lay on his daughter.

It was interrupted rather rudely by the buzzing of a cell phone. Dave looked at his duffle bag, laying in the seat next to Toronto, in horror.

Kurt looked deeply confused for a moment, then bit his bottom lip and shot a knowing look at Dave. "I think I found your phone."

David gave him a badly faked look of innocent surprise. "Oh, I must have left it there, when um…" He trailed off and shrugged weakly. _Damn it._

Kurt just laughed and shook his head, making no further comment on the event. He reached out to tap and hand on Tor's knee. "We're home, sweetheart."

She leaned up with a bit too much energy, but still appeared drowsy. She regarded her father with confusion. "Daddy?"

He unbuckled his seat belt and reached for the door handle. "Hm, baby?"

"What's a one-night stand?"

Kurt sighed - seeming more amused than upset - and looked over at David. "Thank you very for the ride. Tor?"

She yawned and pulled her puppy closer to her as she opened the door and hopped down to the sidewalk. "Thank you Mr. David."

Dave kept watching until they'd made their way up the front walk and opened the door. Just before it shut Kurt lifted Toronto into his arms, turned, and waved goodbye.

He sat for a moment before starting the car. The way Kurt spoke, the wave he moved, the way he smiled. He was older, more tired. But there could no longer be any doubt – the boy David Karofsky had fallen in love with still existed.

He scolded himself for the thought, innocent as it was, and reminded himself of another thought from earlier in the day. _He's separated, not single._


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: FINALLY. I'm so sorry this took so long, a whole lot of college and life has been happening. But here we are, and we shouldn't have any more delays for awhile. I also wanted to say all your reviews and kind words so far mean so much to me. I love you guys. Keep being awesome.

* * *

><p>Toronto Hummel's pigtails jumped around as she bounced in her seat during the last few minutes of the school day. As she bopped, she stared intensely at the intercom on the wall as if she could will the Principal's secretary to finish the afternoon announcements and ring the release bell.<p>

A small, bony finger poked her arm and she stopped bouncing so she could jerk her head around. "Huh?"

In the seat to her left, Noah Puckerman Jr. was squinting at her. After a short pause, he finally spoke. "You're weird," he stated matter-of-factly.

Her head tilted to the side slightly and she frowned thoughtfully, but shrugged. "Okay." She turned back to the intercom to resume her hopefully magical silencing stare.

The boy huffed and leaned over to poke her again. "Hey!"

She whipped around harder this time, groaning as one of her pigtails smacked her in the face. "_What_?"

"Why did you kiss Anabelle?"

Tor looked at him like he was an idiot and gave what she thought was an obvious answer. "Uh, because I wanted to."

"Girls don't kiss girls," Noah said flatly.

She shook her head in confusion. "Girls kiss whoever they want, just like boys."

Before he could reply, the end-of-the-day bell rang sharp and clear through the building. Toronto leapt out of her seat in one grand motion, backpack already secured to her shoulders. She rushed at the door like all the other children, but was caught at the back of a bottleneck as everyone tried to squeeze through the only exit.

Noah was right beside her again. "Girls kiss boys, and boys kiss girls."

She snorted, "That's stupid. My dads kiss all the time," and then more quietly she amended, "_Used_ to kiss all the time."

"_You have more than one dad?"_

They had spilled into the hallway now, and she ignored the question and his tone of disbelief. Toronto cut through the rush of students, barely avoiding being swept up by them, and escaped into a little alcove on the other side of the hall that held the water fountains.

To her dismay, she realized the boy had followed her. "You can't marry Anabelle."

"What?" She cocked an eyebrow at him, completely lost. "Why would I want to marry Anabelle?"

"You kissed her!" Noah exhaled sharply and crossed his arms. Frustration was evident in every inch of his face. "People kiss people they want to marry. Anabelle's a girl, so you can't marry her."

She stuck her tongue out defiantly. "I can in thirty-seven other states." Toronto didn't want to marry Anabelle and she wasn't sure why Noah thought she did, but she didn't feel like explaining it all to a boy who clearly had no sense.

Just then, Toronto smiled. Through the crowd she got a peek of a red-head hurrying towards her. Anabelle Pepper swerved out of the crowd and the two girls bounced right into a hug, both laughing before they let go.

Noah huffed yet again.

Anabelle gave a broad grin, her two front teeth missing. "Come on, I'll show you where our bus is parked. We can sit together!"

Tor nodded excitedly and held out her hand for the other girl. "We can play my DS."

Just as Anabelle reached for Toronto's hand, Noah rushed forwards and planted both hands on her shoulders, pushing her to the floor.

Tor acted quickly, grasping his arm and yanking him backwards. "Cut it out Noah!"

Mr. Karofsky had already appeared and was kneeling beside the little girl. Noah swallowed fearfully. He should've known. The coach always seemed to arrive from nowhere when anyone got hurt, as if he had a supernatural spidey sense.

"I'm sorry," Noah squeaked quickly. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

Tor's voice came at a near shriek. "That's a _lie_! Mr. Dave, he did it on purpose!"

The coach didn't respond to either of them, too busy helping Anabelle to her feet. He kept eye contact with her, his voice earnest. "Hey sweetheart, are you okay?"

Tears streamed over and between her freckles and she sniffled. "I d-didn't do anyth-thing, he just pushed me…"

He retrieved a book from the floor and laid it in her arms, where she clutched it tightly. "I know, I know. You're not in trouble, Anabelle. You hurt anywhere?" She shook her head softly, and Dave nodded as he turned to Toronto, who was deep-freezing Noah with her glare. "I need to see all three of you in the Principal's office first thing Monday morning, okay? Till then I'm going to call your parents and let them know about this. Toronto, can you walk Anabelle to the bus?"

She tore her eyes away from the object of her debilitating stare and took Anabelle's hand. "Come on."

"Thanks." Dave watched them disappear down the hall now nearly empty of students before he looked back at Noah. He let out a long sigh. "Your dad picking you up today?"

The boy looked terrified now, tears spotting his cheeks. "Y-yeah."

David stood and made an effort to calm his tone. "Hey, you wanna tell me why you pushed Anabelle?"

Noah's eyes dropped to the ground, his voice a whisper. "Tor _kissed_ her."

_Oh_. "You like Toronto."

"No," he grumbled back, voice still half choked. "I hate girls."

He responded as gently as possible. "Okay, yeah, maybe. Or maybe you're upset that she likes Anabelle and you don't get why she would like a girl."

The answer came as a mutter. "Doesn't make sense. It's just stupid."

That, Dave decided, was an issue for him to discuss with his parents. "Well, you know you can't push people Noah. It's bullying, and it's not okay no matter what your reason is."

"I know," he said softly. "And I just made it worse. Now Toronto is mad at me. She thinks I'm mean."

Dave started walking towards the front lobby and motioned for Noah to follow. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you apologized to both of them."

"It won't make her like me."

"That's not why you should do it," Dave said. "You should do it knowing she might yell in your face, but you should do it anyway because it's the right thing to do."

Noah stopped at the doors. His father's truck wasn't outside yet. "Are you gonna tell daddy?"

Dave leaned on the wall, eyes sweeping up and down the road for any sign of Puck. "I'm going to have to."

"Shit."

David raised an eyebrow at the curse word, but before he could speak Noah interjected.

"I'm allowed one, remember?"

The teacher looked away, smiling. "You're good, I didn't hear anything."

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><p>Burt Hummel poked half-heartedly at a few more keys. Finally he grunted at his laptop, and rubbed his hand over his mouth. He squinted at the screen and finally turned his head a bit to address his son. "Kurt, could you give me a hand over here?"<p>

"Be right there." His son retreated from the refrigerator, Diet Coke now in hand. He nudged the door shut with his knee and moved over to stand behind his father at the kitchen island. He peered over his shoulder at what appeared to be a website for a florist in the Bahamas. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to have some flowers waiting for Carole when we got to the hotel. I know roses are a classic, but she likes those purple ones. The uh…" He trailed off, giving his son a hopeless look.

Kurt took a seat on the other stool, sliding the laptop around to him. A little typing and a few clicked links later, he swiveled it back around to his father. "Ta-da, irises."

"Thanks." Burt gave him a concerned look. "You know, we don't have to-"

Kurt turned a flat, scolding glare towards him. "Don't finish that sentence. You and Carole have been saving up for this trip for ages. You're going."

"Are you sure? I just think, considering the situation-"

"Oh shush." He popped the tab on his soda can and took the first fizzy sip. "Toronto and I will be fine. I've held down a house on my own for the past six years, I think I can handle a week." He took a longer drink before realizing Burt was staring at him. He putthe can down. "What?"

"Was it that bad? You felt like you were doing it alone?"

Kurt swallowed hard and leaned over his can, still managing to lift his chin a bit proudly. "Not always. Blaine was a good father to Tor. As for me? The only thing this separation has changed is the backdrop for my singleness." He took another sip and forced a smile, as if the words had been a joke.

His father didn't seem amused. He reached out to lay a hand on Kurt's arm, but didn't say a thing.

Before the moment drew out much, Toronto whirled dramatically into the room with her Barbie phone pressed to her ear. "-and then I walked her to the bus, it was awesome. I bet Noah gets arrested."

Kurt cocked a questioning eyebrow at his little girl, but she didn't notice. She was laughing at something the person on the other end of the line had said.

"No, not really! They don't put little kids in jail." She pressed a hand to her face, giggling harder. "They do not! Aunt Rachel!"

Kurt smiled now. Toronto's relationship with her birthmother was something really special. Kurt could see it even when they weren't in the same room, the way they synched up. He'd be lying if he said he weren't a bit jealous of that.

But in truth, everyone had gotten the best out of the situation. Rachel got to have a baby while still fulfilling each and every one of her dreams without being held back. Kurt and Blaine had gotten to raise a child. Toronto got two fathers who'd had the time to focus on her and a birthmother who was always on her side.

The only thing Kurt had refused to compromise on was what Toronto would call Rachel. As much as he loved her, he couldn't stand the idea of her being "mommy." So she'd become "aunt" and everyone seemed more than satisfied with that.

Suddenly, a pink phone was being shaken in his face. "_Daddy_! Auntie Rachel wants you!"

He accepted the phone and raised it to his ear. "Hello, beautiful. How's New York holding up without me?"

She replied in very dramatic tone. "It's in absolute shambles; you should hurry back before anything dire happens. I just don't understand why you left."

"Yes, well," he traced the rim of the can with the tip of his finger. "Dreams change."

Her eye roll was nearly audible. She'd never been able to accept that he wanted to be a parent more than he wanted to be famous. It had never made any sense to her. "Mm hm. In any case, Toronto seems to be enjoying little Lima. She um, she told me about a _very_ interesting car ride with a Mr. David Karofsky."

"Straight to the gossip, hm?" Still, he smiled. "He was just being helpful."

"I think it's great that you're putting yourself out there, no matter what you choose to call it."

This time it was Kurt rolling his eyes. "For goodness' sake, Rachel, my car broke down and he gave us a ride home. It's nothing scandalous."

Burt gave him a look over the top of his laptop screen, and Kurt returned one of confusion. His father lowered his eyes. Kurt shook his head softly and returned to what Rachel was saying.

"In any case, I'm just thrilled to hear that you're dating again too."

Kurt let out a sharp sigh of annoyance. "Rachel, I am not-" He cut himself off, something else sinking in. His chest suddenly felt very cold. "Wait, what?"

He was answered only by the long silence of someone who had said too much.

When she didn't say anything, he did. "You said _too_. You said I'm dating again _too_." He closed his eyes to avoid his father's questioning look.

"Oh," Rachel struggled for words. "That. Well, um-"

Kurt's voice came out an angry hiss. "Lovely. I'm gone for a few weeks and he's already sleeping around."

Burt slammed his palm hard against the countertop. "Son of a- Toronto!"

Perched on the countertop where she'd silently climbed up to retrieve the cookie car from atop the cabinets, Torontofroze. Her answer was muffled by the cookie she held between her teeth. "Hwa?"

"Take your cookies and go upstairs."

Grandpa Burt sounded angry, but not at her. Her eyes flickered from him to her father and back again. She turned over her father's words in her head - '_he's already sleeping around'_ - trying to figure out why they would make Grandpa so upset. Finally she decided not to question it and climbed back to the floor, using the shelves as stairs. She scurried out of the room, cookies in each hand.

Kurt pushed his drink away and laid a hand on his temple, rubbing in slow circles that weren't helping at all. He had considered the possibility of the two of them dating during this separation. He'd even joked about how quickly Blaine would start seeing other men. The reality, however many jokes he had made, was a bitch-slap to the face of everything they had built together.

Rachel was speaking quickly, and it suddenly occurred to Kurt that he hadn't been listening. "-that it's that serious, I mean it could be nothing. I've only seen him out with this guy a few times, so…" She took a breath, and when she spoke again she sounded helpless. "Kurt, I'm so sorry."

"The same guy? So it's not just-" He gave a bitter half-laugh. "Blaine isn't seeing other people, he's seeing _one_ person." He finally opened his eyes and saw his fist clenched hard and turning white. He released the grip on nothing and stretched his fingers outwards, waiting for the color to return. "So much for twelve years of marriage."

"Go on a date with David."

The abruptness of the statement definitely caught Kurt off guard, and almost alleviated the icy feeling in his chest. "I- _excuse me_?"

Her voice was practically pleading. "Oh, just do it! It doesn't have to turn into anything."

"Rachel I've just found out that my husband is seeing someone, I don't think-"

"Exactly. When was the last time he took you out anywhere, just the two of you?"

She was right to assume it had been a long while. For years their relationship had only existed when Toronto was around. They went to the park with her, went to restaurants with her, had dinner and parties with her. But when Toronto wasn't around, they just couldn't be bothered to deal with each other.

Still, that wasn't enough to motivate him to go on a date _now_.

She spoke again, more softly this time. "You deserve to have some fun with someone who really appreciates you."

Kurt shook his head, looking for any excuse to reject her idea. "What makes you think he appreciates me?"

Deep amusement suddenly colored her voice. "Kurt, honey, please. Everyone in our senior class knew- ooh, time for rehearsal!"

"Wait, knew what?"

"I gotta go, love you, kisses! Hug Tor for me!"

He heard the bustling of other cast members and then silence. He laid the phone down on the island, trying to absorb too much information at once.

When he looked around Burt was standing by the kitchen sink, arms crossed, looking about as angry as Kurt had ever seen him. "I could kill that kid. The damn nerve of him to cheat like-"

"Dad, calm down." He raised a hand up and tried to keep his own tone steady. "You can't afford to be getting this upset over nothing with your heart."

He made a disgusted face and leaned back against the counter. "Don't worry about it. What else did she say?"

_That I should go on a date with that guy whose ass you almost kicked when I was in high school._ "Just that it might not be anything. Can we not make a big deal? Please? The last thing I need is you in the hospital."

Burt let out a long breath and finally nodded. "Yeah, you're right let's… let's not both go making mountains outta what might be mole hills." He rubbed a hand against his tense neck. "Anyway. I've got to run to the shop, left my phone in the office again."

Kurt focused his eyes back on the soda can and waited until he heard the front door shut. He pushed it into the garbage can at the edge of the island and stood with the intention of retreatingto the privacy of his room.

He only made it halfway up the stairs before Rachel's words punched him in the gut again. He slid wearily down to sit on a step and leaned his weight on the railing.

Right now, somewhere, Blaine could be with that man. Somewhere Blaine could be forgetting him and Toronto. Their marriage only existed now on a piece of paper filed away in a courthouse. When had that happened? When had the physical expression of the promise ceased to exist? When had the living fairytale faded to a dull yet harsh reality?

Carole's arms appeared around him and he let himself fall against her. "Oh, honey. You're going to be okay." She held his head against her shoulder and swayed with him a bit, a rhythmic and soothing motion.

Toronto stood at the top of the stairs, peeking through the railing bars. She couldn't see from back here, but somehow she was sure her daddy was crying.

She took another bite of her cookie and quietly returned to the bedroom that used to be Uncle Finn's, but was now strewn with all her favorite toys and books. She climbed onto her bed and looked down at the fluffy stuffed puppy Blaine had bought her one Valentine's Day.

He must have meant the other kind of sleep, she realized. The kind most of her peers weren't supposed to know about. And he must have been talking about Daddy Blaine. But that whole thing was about love, right? Months ago when she saw a scene of a TV show she wasn't supposed to and started asking questions, they'd been vague in their answers. One thing, however, they'd made perfectly clear. It's about love.

And if that was true, then Daddy Blaine must be in love with someone new.

Which meant that he didn't love Kurt and Toronto anymore.

She shoved the puppy off the bed and rolled over, looking at the wall.

"It isn't fair," she whispered to no one.


End file.
